The Future of Hybrid Electric Cars in America

Electric Transportation Engineering Corporation (eTec), a subsidiary of ECOtality, Inc., a leader in clean electric transportation and storage technologies, today announced it has officially signed a contract with the U.S. Department of Energy for a grant of exactly $99.8 million to undertake the largest deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) and charging infrastructure in history.

The final scope of work for The Electric Vehicle (EV) Project will include the deployment of 10,950 Level 2 (220V) chargers, 260 Level 3 fast-chargers and 4,700 Nissan LEAF zero-emission electric vehicles in five states: Arizona, California, Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington. In conjunction with the contract signing, The EV Project officially commenced on October 1, 2009.

“Today marks a significant day for America – with the contract officially in place with the U.S. Department of Energy, eTec can formally begin its work to implement the largest transportation electrification project in history,” said Don Karner, President, eTec. “We would like to thank the U.S. Department of Energy and the Obama Administration for investing in clean energy programs such as The EV Project. With the support of our Project partners, we look forward to a successful Project that will change the way America drives for the better.”

To mark the commencement of the Project, ECOtality and eTec today also announced the official website for the Project: www.theEVproject.com. The site is designed to provide general information about The EV Project and provides information about how to purchase a Nissan LEAF and sign-up to receive free charge infrastructure at a home or business. The interactive site also offers real time maps to show where current charge stations are located, allows visitors to track the deployment of charge infrastructure and provides the public the ability to suggest new charge locations in the markets infrastructure will be deployed.

“With the contracts in place and The EV Project officially launched, we can now work to make widespread electric vehicle use a reality by studying lessons learned from this Project and providing a blueprint for other cities to adopt electric vehicles,” said Jonathan Read, President and CEO, ECOtality. “The EV Project will have a tremendous impact on the country by creating new jobs, bolstering America’s energy independence, and promoting clean electric transportation that will significantly reducing carbon emissions and protect our environment.”

The EV Project will collect and analyze data characterizing vehicle use and charging patterns in diverse topographies and climate conditions, evaluate the effectiveness of charge infrastructure, and conduct trials of various revenue systems for public charge infrastructure. By testing and analyzing electric vehicle usage and charging patterns in a simulated mature charging environment, The EV Project will foster the expansion of EV infrastructure that will be available for widespread EV use throughout the country.